Infiltrating the world of cultivation

Although everything seemed normal in Lingyao Village, the four of them felt that something was amiss; the villagers seemed very repressed.

"Brother Chao, why do I feel like the people here have lost their souls? They're completely lifeless."

After Shi Wen arrived here, he was no longer as carefree as before; clearly, the atmosphere here was somewhat unusual.

Wang Chao observed that the villagers were all going about their own business, with little interaction between them. They appeared numb and lifeless, like zombies.

After wandering around for a while, the four of them finally found an inn at the end of the village.

Logically speaking, this village isn't small, so there shouldn't be only one inn.

"Fellow villagers, we are from out of town and would like to stay here for the night."

Shi Wen was quite eloquent, so this kind of task naturally fell to him.

"You're from out of town? Our hotel is fully booked. Why don't you look somewhere else?"

Upon hearing that they were from out of town, the shopkeeper's initially warm demeanor instantly changed, and he avoided them as if they were plague carriers.

"Your shop is practically empty, it's practically covered in mold, and now you're telling me it's full? Do you think I'm someone to mess with?"

Shi Wen took off his straw hat and slammed it on the front desk, instantly releasing the aura of a Xiantian martial artist.

"Shi Wen!"

Xuan Yang Wan'er glared fiercely at Shi Wen, and only then did Shi Wen restrain himself a bit. Otherwise, Wang Chao believed that if this shopkeeper dared to say another word, Shi Wen would probably beat his shit out of his mouth.

"Shopkeeper, we really are just staying for one night."

Snapped!

Sun Juan understood Shi Wen best. One played the bad cop, and the other played the good cop. Sun Juan slammed a piece of gold onto the shopkeeper's table.

In this remote mountain village, this inn can't earn this much in a whole year.

With Shi Wen's military intimidation in front and Sun Juan's tempting benefits behind, the two had an extremely thorough understanding of human nature. Wang Chao learned a lot about how to conduct himself in society by following them.

Everyone understands the big principles, but how many people can actually put them into practice?

Sure enough, when the shopkeeper saw the gold on the counter, his eyes flickered noticeably. He hesitated, and it was clear that what he was worried about was quite serious.

"Add another one!"

pat!

On the counter, another gold ingot appeared. This was the gold ingot of the official seal. With these two gold ingots, he would have enough to retire comfortably!

However, the four men's gazes suddenly sharpened, because they hadn't placed the gold ingot there.

Behind the four, a handsome young man stepped forward, dressed in white, with a sword wrapped around his chest.

Upon seeing the two gold ingots, the shopkeeper gritted his teeth and agreed, for people die for wealth and birds die for food.

"Let's make it clear beforehand: don't turn on the lights after dark, don't go out, and especially don't make any loud noises, otherwise even the gods can't save you."

The shopkeeper looked somewhat frightened. Clearly, he had some concerns and was afraid that the people would not understand the seriousness of the situation, thus bringing about their own demise.

"Shopkeeper, what happened in the village? The villagers all look panicked, and they're not talking to each other much."

Wang Chao stepped forward to inquire, but the shopkeeper remained silent, only repeatedly instructing everyone not to turn on the lights after dark, not to go out, and not to make any noise.

Even if Sun Juan gave him two more gold ingots, the shopkeeper wouldn't dare say anything, for fear of bringing disaster upon himself.

This guesthouse, converted from a residential house, has only three rooms, but now houses five people.

Shi Wen and Xuan Yang Wan'er shared a room, while the remaining three shared two rooms. Wang Chao, of course, would not share a room with anyone, but the newcomer was someone no one knew.

"Young man, let's share a room!"

Sun Juan laughed and casually put her hand on the shoulder of the newcomer, a handsome young man.

"what are you doing?"

The new young man suddenly shouted, startling all four of them.

Bang!

He pressed his right elbow against Sun Juan's chest and swiftly struck with his left fist. Sun Juan, who was as strong as an iron tower, was sent flying.

It should be noted that even if Sun Juan was unprepared, he was still a master of the Innate Realm. Ordinary Innate Realm experts were no match for him, and his strength was enough to rival a Qi Refining Stage 2 expert.

Wang Chao's pupils also suddenly contracted. Just now, when this young man made his move, Wang Chao had already sensed that the other party had considerable strength.

He is probably on the same level as figures like Zuo Qiuzhen and Guiguzi. To achieve such success at such a young age, he must either have exceptional talent or a powerful background.

The saying "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts" applies not only to the cultivation world but also to the secular world. Without strong support, it is impossible to achieve this.

However, Wang Chao also realized that the other party had shown mercy; otherwise, Sun Juan might have been killed in a single exchange.

"Go upstairs."

Wang Chao didn't delve into the matter further. If one were to insist on arguing, Sun Juan had struck first, so they were indeed in the wrong.

However, Wang Chao was never one to suffer a loss. If you bullied him, you could tolerate it for a while and things would be peaceful, but if you bullied the people around him, you were doomed.

I'll let you off the hook for now, but I'll definitely get my hands on you when the opportunity arises!

"Hey! Did I say you could leave?"

Seeing that the dynasty ignored him, the handsome young man felt a little embarrassed. When you're out in the world, you have to be mindful of your reputation.

The young man reached out, trying to grab Wang Chao's shoulder, but Wang Chao frowned slightly.

Bang!

Before Wang Chao could make a move, Sun Juan pounced on the young man, tackling him to the ground and then locking him in place with a ground lock.

Sun Juan practiced external martial arts, and coupled with her innate superhuman strength, even though the young man's cultivation level was very high, he could not break free.

This time, the dynasty did not stop it, because it was the young man who made the first move.

However, it's a bit unsightly for two grown men to be locking the floor like that. If this were on Earth, they would probably already be surrounded by a crowd filming them.

"You let go!"

The handsome young man tried to elbow Sun Juan, but she easily deflected the attack. This ground lock is also a skill; it's difficult for someone who doesn't know how to unlock it to break it.

"Do you think I'm stupid? I can't beat you. If I let you go, what if you hit me?"

Although Shi Wen was a bit simple-minded, he wasn't stupid. He knew that if he was released, unless the dynasty intervened, he would only be beaten.

But Wang Chao is a cultivator. What if he loses control and kills this person?

"Will you let it go?"

The young man was somewhat indignant, having never experienced such a humiliating disgrace before.

"Don't let it go!"

Sun Juan was determined; she would not give up unless the young man gave in.

"Then don't blame me for being rude!"

The young man activated his internal energy, and Sun Juan immediately felt she couldn't withstand it.

Taking advantage of the situation, Sun Juan changed the lock, thus breaking the young man's grip. In this way, the two continued to change locks and break the locks.

If it were a man and a woman, the scene would certainly be incredibly erotic, but with two grown men in such intimate contact, even the most composed ruler couldn't help but chuckle.

"Keep it up, senior brother! Hang in there! Hahaha!"

Shi Wen, standing to the side, didn't have such good self-control and burst out laughing. Even Xuan Yang Wan'er, who was usually quite dignified, couldn't help but smirk.

"I am going to kill you!"

The young man was clearly enraged; the killing intent emanating from him was almost tangible, possessing a sharp edge.

Is it really that serious? It was just a friendly sparring match, how did it escalate to the point of murder?

The dynasty became more vigilant, and he would take action at the slightest sign of trouble.

Bang!

Sun Juan was struck by an elbow, causing her to briefly loosen her grip. Her reaction was quick enough; she reached for the groin with her right hand and wrapped her left arm around the young man's chest, locking him in place once more.

But the next moment, his expression changed, and he rubbed his hands together.

"Hang in there, senior brother!"

Shi Wen thought this was a sign that Sun Juan was about to give up and wanted to let go.

bass!

Sun Juan jumped up from the ground, seemingly without any energy left. Everyone noticed that Sun Juan's expression was strange and they were puzzled. Could she have been poisoned?

That's impossible. Sun Juan is a master of poisoning; she shouldn't have been poisoned by someone else. So what could be the reason?

"Young lady, I have no intention of offending you."

Sun Juan's words shocked everyone: this handsome young man was actually a woman!

Even the dynasty didn't notice, which shows how impressive the disguise was. The other party had done a very meticulous job in terms of voice, Adam's apple, and other aspects.

"Listen to me—"

Bang!

Sun Juan was kicked away by the woman and lay on the ground for a long time without getting up.

Next, Sun Juan was beaten until her head was swollen like a pig's head. When Wang Chao saw the woman, he didn't kill her, so he didn't stop him.

He really couldn't get involved in this kind of thing. It would be fine if the other party was a man, but if it was a woman, wouldn't this matter become a huge scandal? In this era, women's chastity was highly valued.

Sun Juan locked someone up for a long time and kept dawdling. If it were a man, it wouldn't be so bad, but the problem is that the other person is a woman. I'm afraid this matter won't end well.

Although the woman was furious, she did not lose her temper. Clearly, she was highly educated, and even in this situation, she only beat Sun Juan up without resorting to any deadly moves.

Sun Juan was brutally beaten but dared not fight back. Finally, the woman stopped when Sun Juan was almost out of breath and ran upstairs to her room, sobbing.

"What are you waiting for? Chase after them!"

Wang Chao still retained a modern mindset, believing that if a girl was angry, he should go and coax her, and hurriedly urged Sun Juan to follow.

Sun Juan was somewhat dazed from the beating and couldn't distinguish between good and bad. After hearing Wang Chao's words, she subconsciously chased after him.

"roll!"

As a result, when she got to the second floor and opened the door, she was kicked down. If Shi Wen hadn't reached out quickly, Sun Juan might have been crippled.

From the woman's room came a series of crackling sounds; clearly, she was venting. Wang Chao, being emotionally clueless, was also somewhat confused about her thoughts.

"You guys go and rest first. It's not appropriate for men to get involved in this kind of thing."

In the end, Xuan Yang Wan'er sighed helplessly and rubbed her forehead. She was speechless at the lack of emotional intelligence in these three men.

As evening approached and darkness fell, Wang Chao cut a beef leg to apologize to the man, while Xuan Yang Wan'er, as expected, brought the woman over.

"My name is Li Qingxia, a bounty hunter."

Li Qingxia simply said one sentence, clearly still unable to let go of what happened during the day, and her gaze towards Sun Juan was also fierce.

Everyone introduced themselves one by one, which was considered a preliminary acquaintance.

"This is spirit beast meat, which is extremely rare and most people can't afford it. Here, the biggest one is for you."

Sun Juan, who was grilling meat, came running over excitedly. She had been beaten up during the day and looked like a pig's head. Now, her head was wrapped in bandages, making her look like a mummy.

"Pfft."

Li Qingxia, who had been keeping a straight face, couldn't help but laugh when she saw Sun Juan's expression. However, she seemed to realize something was wrong and quickly suppressed her laughter.

"Humph!"

Li Qingxia snorted and took the roasted meat.

"Are you a cultivator? What stage of Qi Refining are you?"

Clearly, Li Qingxia was also aware of the existence of cultivators.

"Four."

Wang Chao didn't say much. He took out a few antique wine cups from the nine-story ancient pagoda, poured out some of the bomb water, and mixed it with some sake.

This bomb-like water is just right for him, but if others drink it, they might not be able to handle it.

"Then our chances of success have increased even more. I've been following that guy for half a month."

Li Qingxia's words caused everyone's expressions to shift; clearly, she knew something.

“We come from Zhen’an City on the other side of the forest and do not know what has happened here. We beg you to tell us.”

Wang Chao asked proactively; otherwise, Li Qingxia might have assumed that everyone knew.

"You came all the way from Zhen'an City? That's impressive!"

Li Qingxia knew that although this path was the shortest, even she dared not cross it easily, because she usually wouldn't encounter any powerful creatures, but once she did, she wouldn't be able to get out.

Therefore, this primeval forest has never received any negative reviews; those who had opinions have all died.

"I don't know if you've heard the rumor, but don't turn on the lights after dark!"

Li Qingxia lowered her voice, which, combined with the howling wind outside the window, created a chilling atmosphere.

Sun Juan, who was tending the fire, was startled by what he heard. He suddenly remembered the shopkeeper's words.

"After dark, do not turn on the lights, do not go out, and do not make noise."

For a moment, apart from the crackling sparks, you could hear a pin drop in the room. Although Wang Chao didn't believe in superstitions, this was the world of cultivation, where anything was possible.

"Bang bang bang!"

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and the candlelight on the table flickered. Everyone felt a chill run down their spines, even Li Qingxia, who had spoken.

She just wanted to scare everyone, but who knew, something was actually knocking on the door!